Day 258
Before the sentence is finished, God already knows. Before “Amen” leaves your mouth, He is already working.
Daniel had been praying. He was on the riverbank, weak from three weeks of mourning, when a glorious angel stood in front of him. God was not ignoring him. The first words from the angel were, “From the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words” (Daniel 10:12). Heaven moved on day one, at the very first word.
The silence Daniel felt was not heaven stalling. It was a war he could not see. The prince of Persia had resisted the messenger for 21 days until Michael came to help. God heard the prayer and commanded the angel armies at the exact same time the words left Daniel’s mouth. That is the grace. Your prayer is heard before it feels answered. Our clocks and God’s timing for a plan do not always match. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it is no, and sometimes it is wait, because He is already working on a plan that you cannot see. Daniel was not told every date that he wanted. He was told to go his way until the end. The man who prayed until he had no strength left was told he would stand (Daniel 12:13).
When it feels like God is saying no, remember Daniel at the riverbank. God heard him, and God sent help. Keep praying. The answer may already have left heaven while the battle is still on the way.
As the words leave your mouth, do you believe He is already working? When a prayer goes unanswered longer than you wanted, can you trust it was heard in the very first second? Do you believe that “wait” means God has a plan and is moving in a war you cannot see?
The Book of Daniel took place in the time of King Cyrus of Persia, after the fall of Babylon. Daniel was grieved again. In yesterday’s reading, Daniel had grieved for the 70-year period that Jerusalem would be under desolation, and the angel Gabriel showed up. About two or three years later, Daniel mourned for a full three weeks. It was a partial fasting where he only ate plain food, no desserts, no meat, wine, or anointing oil (Daniel 10:2-3). Daniel was in his 80’s and still fasting and praying. This was like a behind-the-scenes moment of chapter 11. Cyrus had allowed the Jewish Israelites to return home to Judah. Some of God’s people had returned home to start rebuilding the temple, but they faced fierce opposition (Ezra 4). That may be part of why Daniel was mourning.
This was the first month of Nisan, which includes Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Daniel basically fasted through a party season of remembrance and joy. He was standing by the Tigris River in Babylon and saw a man dressed in linen. The description is like the glorified Christ in Revelation 1:12-16: both wore linen/robes and gold belts, had fiery eyes with bronze feet/legs, thunderous voices, and radiant faces. Some scholars say this may be a theophany, pre-incarnate Christ. Others say it could be a high-ranking angel, because the man later needed Michael’s help against the prince of Persia (Daniel 10: 13). Regardless, he was overwhelmingly glorious. Only Daniel could see him in this vision, yet the men with him ran and hid in fear.
Daniel, zapped of strength, collapsed into a deep sleep. The prophet who faced lions and furnaces of fire was flattened by the glory of heaven. Humans are just not built for the divine realm without help. On his hands and knees, he was trembling; a voice told him to stand, and he continued to tremble. The angel touched him to give him strength. This was a peek behind the curtain of the spiritual realm. His prayer was heard immediately on the first day (Daniel 10:12). Encouragement came, and the famous words, “Do not be afraid.” The angel explained he had to go back and fight the prince of Persia, and Michael would help against the spiritual forces. (A reminder of not letting the demons in- the spiritual realm is very real. Do angels need backup? All we know for sure is what Scripture says: the unseen realm is real, prayer matters, and God’s side prevails. Guard what you open your heart to. DO not let the demons in; keep that gate closed.
In chapter 11, the angel told Daniel “The truth” about what was written in the book of truth. He moved from Persia to the rise of Greece, then to the wars between the king of the south (Ptolemaic Egypt) and the king of the North (Seleucid Syria). The angel had protected Darius in his first year, with a forecast of three more Persian kings after the current king, Cyrus. Then a fourth, much richer king who would stir up everyone against Greece. The fourth is commonly known as Xerxes I and also known as Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther. Then a mighty king would reign, Alexander the Great, and with no heir, the land in his kingdom would be divided up. It was divided between his four generals, the Diadochi: Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy. Two lines became dominant: the Ptolemies in the south (Egypt) and the Seleucids in the north (Syria and Mesopotamia). The sudden rise and the four-way split match the prophecy.
There were many cycles of invasions, retreats, and alliances in vivid detail. With the accurate number of details, some critics said it would not be a prophecy, and it had to have been written after the fact. No, God is sovereign, and the text was written with God speaking before the events. God is sovereign, and that is all that matters. The vile man who seized the kingdom was Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the “little horn” from Daniel 8. He attacked Egypt (S) and was forced to withdraw under Roman pressure. His name means “God manifest” but was nicknamed Epimanes, which means “madman.” He persecuted the Jews and defiled the temple.
Verses 36-45 shift to the final king who exalts himself above every god. He had no regard for the gods of his fathers. The king of the South will clash with the king of the North, who comes with chariots, horsemen, and ships. Antiochus IV did not match this section of Scripture. Jesus said it is still for the future (Matthew 24:15). Paul wrote of the same lawless man who opposed God in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 as the antichrist. Empires will rise and fall, but it all falls under the umbrella of God’s rule and His remnant who is saved. Those who are written in the book will be delivered (Daniel 12:1).
Today's Discussion question:
When it feels like God is saying no, remember Daniel at the riverbank. God heard him, and God sent help. Keep praying. The answer may already have left heaven while the battle is still on the way.
As the words leave your mouth, do you believe He is already working? When a prayer goes unanswered longer than you wanted, can you trust it was heard in the very first second? Do you believe that “wait” means God has a plan and is moving in a war you cannot see?
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